The 5:2 Juice Diet

Sticki days but would mana of yea five ng a gea rs, wee agre to days? bl the ae. k esaintl can 5:2 that’s In Most the die be y die much la ta of – st stretch, tus a seve couple more n calorie-controlled eating plan based around intermittent fasting twice a week – has stormed the health world with its promises of sustained weight loss, a longer life and better health. And now this diet has a new twist that involves juicing during your fasting days for an added health boost to nourish and spring clean your body from the inside out.

THE NEW WAY TO 5:2

The regular 5:2 diet involves scaling back your calorie intake to just 500 calories (or a quarter of a woman’s normal guideline allowance) twice a week and eating pretty much whatever you like for the remaining five days. The benefits? An extended lifespan, lower incidence of disease, better memory, improved mood and impressive weight loss results, shows the science. A 2012 study indicated that the 5:2 diet may help lower the risk of certain types of obesity-related cancers such as breast cancer, while another study suggested a lower risk of chronic metabolic conditions such as diabetes type 2. Want to live to see your 100th birthday? Practising intermittent fasting could get you one step closer to blowing out the candles. In parts of Japan such as the island of Okinawa, which has the lowest incidence of disease and the longest life expectancy in the world, people are rigorous about calorie restriction. The Okinawans eat until they’re 80 per cent full and leave long periods between meals so the body can make full use of its fuel. But if you really want to catapult your health status to the next level, the key could be to watch what you eat on nonfast days, choosing the most nutritious calorie sources. Drink freshly made juices on fast days and you’re onto a winner, say some experts. This way, you’ll be consuming a quantity of nutrients that would be virtually impossible to consume in one sitting if you were eating whole foods. ‘Juicing is a great way of incorporating concentrated levels of nutrients in fluid form, particularly on a 500 calorie intake or intermittent fast day,’ explains nutritionist Don Gordon, (type2plan.co.uk). ‘You’ll receive high levels of naturally occurring active enzymes, vitamins and minerals. You’re also giving your digestion a rest as your body needs less energy to break down the food, and it’s better absorbed.

TRY A LIQUID FAST

A host of home delivery juice diet companies, from Plenish (plenishcleanse. com) to Purifyne (purifynecleanse.com) have jumped on the bandwagon with convenient 5:2 diet packages offering cold-pressed juices to be consumed on fasting days. Now the British juice guru, Jason Vale, has followed suit with his new book Jason Vale’s 5:2 Juice Diet (£12.99, Amazon). ‘Living on nothing but juice for five, seven, 10 (or in some cases 28 days), isn’t for everyone, but fasting for just two days a week can fit into most people’s lifestyles,’ says Vale. He rates his semiliquid concept – the 5:2 Juice System – as far superior to a regular 5:2 food diet thanks to his menu of nutritious meals and delicious tasting, health-giving juices. Whereas the conventional 5:2 diet is based solely on quantity of calories, his version considers the quality of calories too. Designed to be a longterm lifestyle choice rather than a fad diet, it involves drinking pure juice two days a week, combining food and juice three days a week and eating whatever you want for the remaining two days. But there’s flexibility; if you want to juice for two days and eat what you want for the other five days, you’ll still get great results, he maintains. This is because chugging back juice ensures you’re getting a hefty supply of vitamins, minerals and other bloodalkalising nutrients to keep your wellbeing tip top.

GOING NATURAL

Vale began juicing 15 years ago, seeking a natural remedy to the daily cocktail of drugs he was knocking back in a desperate attempt to help the atopic conditions he suffered – asthma, eczema and hay fever. After experiencing the benefits of juicing first-hand and realising how diet and health are interlinked when it comes to ill health, he became a convert. ‘I sensed my body needed a lot of nutrition quickly and in the most effective way, so juicing made a lot of sense,’ he says. Since his early juice fast experiments, which started with a three-month-long juice diet, Vale has spent his life inventing healthy liquid concoctions, writing diet books and launching a health retreat in Portugal dedicated to kickstarting wellbeing through juicing. Since the beginning of this year, the health veteran has committed two days a week to a juice-only diet. ‘I wanted to see what the effects of the 5:2 food diet would be with juice,’ he says. ‘Juicing for two days every week, eating and juicing well for at least three of the other five days and doing four full juice fasts a year seems to be the holy grail of weight loss and health management.’ But there are a few things to be aware of. ‘You need to ensure you don’t include too many high-sugar fruits such as pineapple and melon,’ says Gordon. ‘These fruits don’t contain much fibre and can mess with blood sugar levels.’ The quality of your juicer matters too. While a standard blender is okay to start things off, investing in a high-end juicer will help you reap even better health rewards. ‘A masticating or cold-press juicer will yield more juice and fibre and it employs a pressing technique, which is said to retain more nutrients compared to a centrifugal juicer which has a spinning bat that uses friction and heat, potentially depleting some of the nutrients,’ says Gordon. Fancy giving the 5:2 Juice Diet a go? Check out Vale’s sample menu for fasting and non-fasting days overleaf.

The conventional 5:2 diet is based solely on quantity of calories. This version considers quality of calories too.

THE JUICE MASTER’S TOP 5:2 TIPS

1. Make your juices in advance
   ‘Meticulous planning is essential for diet success. Throw together the ingredients to make your juices for the day, pour them into dark bottles and place them in the fridge. Or whizz up two days’ worth of fasting juices the night before, bottle the first two for the morning of day one and then freeze the rest, defrosting as you go.’
2. Change your habits
   ‘Keep in the habit of having juice for breakfast at least three of the other five days a week. Juicing then becomes part of your lifestyle and makes the two juice fast days easier.’
3. Drink up
   ‘Drink water and herbal teas to ward off hunger. Liven up water with lemon or lime.’
4. Get fruity
   ‘Fruit contains more than 85 per cent liquid nutrition, so if you don’t have your juicer to hand, eat a piece of fruit instead. Try banana or avocado.’
5. Keep your juicer on show
   ‘If your juicer’s on the kitchen worktop, you’re much more inclined to use it than if it’s stored away in a cupboard.

5:2 JUICE DIET PLAN

Two days a week, you’ll follow the Fast Day juice plan. Try Vale’s healthy juice recipes below or use your own favourites. All the juices below contain around 125-150 calories, helping you easily stick to your 500-calorie fasting day allowance. For the rest of the week, follow the Non-Fast Day eating plan on the opposite page. Start your day with a juice or smoothie, then aim to eat two super-nutritious meals, such as Vale’s recipes opposite. Simple!

FAST DAY PLAN

On waking: Herbal/green tea or hot water and lemon
9AM: Drink juice 1, below
1PM: Drink juice 2, below
4PM: Drink juice 3, below
7PM: Drink juice 4, below

JUICE 1: WATERMELON, PEAR, CUCUMBER & MINT COOLER

This is rich in zinc, vitamin A and C, plus vitamins B1 and B6. The combination of watermelon and zinc makes this really hydrating.

• ½ medium cucumber
• 1/8 watermelon (skin on)
• 1 pear
• 1 small handful fresh mint
• 1 small handful ice

1. Juice all the ingredients and pour over ice – easy!

JUICE 2: LOVE JUICE

Passionfruit is a fabulous source of vitamin A, E and C plus B vitamins and minerals including iron and zinc. Strawberries are also bursting with antioxidant vitamin C.

• 1 small handful strawberries
• 1 small handful raspberries
• 2 passion fruits
• 2 large oranges (peeled)
• 1 small handful ice

1. Peel the oranges, leaving as much of the pith as possible, then juice them.
2. Pour the orange juice into a blender. Cut the passion fruits in half and spoon the insides into the blender. Add the berries and ice.
3. Whizz until smooth, pour into a glass and feel the love!

JUICE 3: TURMERIC TEMPTATION

Turmeric adds an aromatic warmth and contains magnesium and iron.

• 3cm raw turmeric (or 1 pinch if you’re using turmeric powder instead)
• 1 apple (Golden Delicious or Gala)
• ½ medium cucumber
• 1 pear
• 2 carrots
• 1 small handful ice

1) No need to peel a thing – juice the lot, pour into a glass over ice and enjoy.

JUICE 4: HOT + REDDY

Grapefruit is said to suppress appetite and is an excellent source of vitamins A and C.

• 1 pear
• 1 raw beetroot
• ¼ pink grapefruit (peeled, white pith left)
• 1 orange (peeled, white pith left on)
• 1 small handful strawberries
• ½ red chilli (seeds removed!)
• 1 small handful ice

1. Simply juice this spicy combination and cool off over a little ice. Sip slowly and enjoy

NON-FAST DAY PLAN

On waking: Herbal/green tea or hot water and lemon

Breakfast: Juice or smoothie

Lunch: A super salad such as the salad below

Dinner: A nutritious meal eg curry below

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CHILLI, GINGER, LIME & COCONUT CURRY

Cauliflower is rich in antiinflammatory nutrients including vitamin K, plus vitamins C and B6.

Serves 2

• ½ medium butternut squash
• ½ medium red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium red chilli
• 30g ginger
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 400ml coconut milk
• ½ tsp turmeric

1. Remove the end and peel the butternut squash, then remove the seeds and cut into bite-sized chunks. Remove the ends and skin from the red onion and garlic and thinly slice. Remove the top from the chilli, cut in half, remove the seeds and then cut into thin slices. Peel the ginger and cut into matchstick strips. Cut the lime in half.
2. Put the coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the butternut squash and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add the onion, chilli and garlic and cook for a further 10 minutes. 3) Next add the coconut milk, turmeric and squeeze the lime directly into the pan. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes before serving with brown rice.

CRUNCHY MUNCHIE SALAD WITH A LIME, CHILLI & CORIANDER DRESSING

Edamame beans, nuts and seeds provide protein.

Serves 2

• 1 medium red pepper
• ¼ medium cucumber
• 60g baby leaf spinach
• 40g sugar snap peas
• 100g fresh edamame beans
• 1 medium red chilli
• 50g raw almonds
• 100g mixed seeds
• A generous pinch Himalayan rock salt

Dressing

• 1 medium red chilli
• 20g coriander
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ lime

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4.
2. Create the dressing. Take the top off the chilli, slice in half lengthways, remove the seeds and place in the container of a hand blender. Add the other ingredients, squeezing the lime juice into the container. Blitz for 10-20 seconds.
3. Prepare the salad. Finely slice the red pepper. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumber lengthways to create very thin strips (discard the skin). Chop the spinach. Remove the ends and stringy bits from the sugar snap peas, then cut in half. Remove the top from the chilli, cut in half, remove the seeds, and slice finely. Coarsely chop the almonds and place on a baking tray with the chilli, mixed seeds and the salt. Cook in the oven for 5 minutes.
4. Mix it all before serving.